


with malice

by toulouser



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Bi Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Lesbian Richie Tozier, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Sapphic as fuck, Soft Eddie Kaspbrak, Washington D.C., Wholesome, richie tozier is an idiot, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24258805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toulouser/pseuds/toulouser
Summary: derry high school offers a fall trip to Washington, D.C., and of course, the losers are going.*note: everything is the same except richie & eddie are girls, and it’s november of 2016
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19





	with malice

“You look like shit,” Stan observed, ever so lovingly towards Richie. 

And he wasn’t wrong- she was clad in an oversized hoodie with the hood up and wore her beloved RayBans to mask the bloodshot eyes. It wasn’t new to any of the losers that Richie had trouble when it came to sleep, but they hardly ever saw her pre-coffee or energy drink. It wasn’t much of a delight to see, really. 

“Yeah, not my fault I couldn’t sleep. Eddie’s mother’s thighs were keeping me up at night,” Richie retorted. 

“S-S-Speaking of- where is Eddie?” Bill asked, looking around to see if she was lost in the crowds of their peers. 

They were outside, waiting to get onto the bus that would take them to the airport. There were a decent amount of kids there but not enough to get lost, per say. 

“Wouldn’t be surprised if her mom is holding her back,” Beverly sighed, leaning into Ben. 

They had about five minutes before the teachers were to call them into the bus to leave for the airport. Basically everyone was there, ready to go, with the exception of Eddie. And it was more than realistic that Sonia would decide to hold her back, last minute. Even with the fees she’d have to pay to make up for that. But like, no doubt Sonia would drive herself crazy, looking at the crime statistics in Washington DC or believe there would be vicious protests occurring because Trump had been elected into office. Richie hoped that wasn’t the case- she knew she’d still have fun with everybody but… but it wouldn’t be the same without Eddie. 

Their phones buzzed and Richie, being too lazy to pull out her own, looked over Stan’s shoulder. 

“She says she’s here,” Stan voiced. 

And sure enough, when they looked over they saw an annoyed Eddie, hauling two suitcases out of her mom’s old car. The driver’s window was open, so basically everybody could hear all the pestering Sonia was implanting upon her daughter. 

“Yes, mom. I’ll make sure to take my meds, okay?” Eddie exclaimed. “I have to go, the bus is going to leave.”

“Maybe this isn’t a good-“

“Ma, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow,” Eddie said. 

Sonia pulled a face- one that was used to both manipulate and guilt trip. 

“Should we intervene?” Mike asked, quietly. 

Bev shook her head. “No, that would probably make it worse.”

She shot a look over to Richie, seeing if she would do something. It was typical of her to be the knight in shining armor on the way to save her beloved princess from the horrid dragon that was Sonia Kaspbrak. But Richie looked completely out of it and stuck in a sleep deprived state of mind. 

“I don’t think this is a good idea, Edith. There are people out there who are going to hurt you. Not to mention, your friends-“

“THREE MINUTES!” A teacher yelled over the crowds. 

“Look, mom. I have to go, but I promise I’ll be okay,” Eddie tried to affirm. 

Sonia sighed, deeply. “Fine. Give your mother a kiss goodbye.”

She had said it grimly, but Eddie was used to it. Didn’t even bat an eyelash as she did as told and kissed her mother’s cheek. “Love you mom.”

Eddie ran up towards where everyone was, bringing her two suitcases with her. She looked bright and energized with her brunette ponytail whipping back and forth behind her head. If anything, she looked like the opposite of Richie, at that moment. 

“You know you’re only supposed to bring one bag, right?” Stan declared. 

“Yeah, well, with all the shit my mom wanted me to bring, it had to fit into more than one bag,” Eddie huffed. 

A teacher- who they recognized as one of the biology teachers- came to her aid as they loaded the suitcases into the trunk of the bus. Luckily, he didn’t say anything about her extra piece of luggage. 

“We w-w-were getting worried there. We thought your mom was gonna hold you back,” Bill said. 

“I’m sure she was about to. She’s been bitching on and on about all of this, all night and all morning,” Eddie sighed. 

“Well, we’re glad you could make it, Eddie,” Ben said, genuinely. 

“I’m glad too. It’s a literal, fucking miracle I’m here,” Eddie said. “What’s with Richie? She’s been quiet and it’s making me uncomfortable.”

“I was fucking your mom,” Richie mumbled. 

“She didn’t get any sleep,” Bev translated. “And it’s way too early for anyone to be up. The sun is literally fucking rising, right now.”

Eddie was trained to be an early bird, so she just shrugged and said, “It’s not that early.”

“Speak for yourself, Spaghetti,” Richie grumbled. 

Eddie rolled her eyes and without saying a word, moved closer so she could take the free earbud that was hanging loosely from Richie and placed it in her ear. By this time, the losers delved off into their own side conversations leaving both Richie and Eddie alone in their own world. 

“Britney Spears? Really?” Eddie declared. 

“Don’t judge, Eds. You know her music’s a classic.”

And Eddie looked up at her sleep deprived Richie then at the world around her. It was a cold, November morning and the sun was peeking up to paint the back of their high school in magnificent shades of pink and orange. The bus was softly humming and the quiet chatter of all the kids around her was strangely relaxing. If she had any nerves about this trip to Washington DC, they had subsided by this point. She was surrounded by her closest friends and breathing in breaths of liberation. She was free. 

Well… sort of… 

She was still going to be chaperoned by teachers and such, but they weren’t going to be hanging over her all the time. And best yet, she was going to be stuck in close quarters with all her friends for the next few days and she wouldn’t have to sneak around for it. 

It felt great, in all honesty. 

The teachers eventually called for attendance, then one by one, kids were loaded onto the bus. 

There had to be at least fifty kids from their grade that signed up for this trip and luckily, Eddie liked most of them. She had worried that someone like Greta Bowie or Henry Bowers would sign up and make it an actual living hell. But no, it seemed like it was going to be a decent trip. She followed tall and lanky Richie, who chose a seat in the middle of the bus, then primly sat down in the seat beside her. The losers filled in the seats around that area and added to the chaotic chatter on the bus. Eddie was leaning across the aisle to talk to Stan about the last APUSH test when a loud whistle pierced through the loud chatter that was occurring. Richie groaned and rubbed her temples, causing Eddie to smile ever so slightly. 

“Listen up! I know you are all excited and I share your sentiments. The DC trip is always something I look forward to each year, but there are some rules that need to be covered.”

The teacher- Mr. Borris, who taught like world civilizations or something- went on and on about a bunch of rules. Things that Eddie didn’t think she personally needed to really worry about- no sex, no drugs, no alcohol, listen to teachers at all times, don’t break from the group. She knew a number of her friends would be inclined to breaking those rules- but she knew she’d behave, at the very least. 

“Bev, please tell me you didn’t bring weed with you,” Mike whispered over the monologue from the seat behind Eddie. 

Bev made a disappointed face. “Yeah. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring any. Don’t think the airport security would be pleased with that.”

“Can they detect weed?” Eddie whispered, carefully. 

“I mean, probably. If they don’t let you bring full water bottles in, then why would they let weed in?” Bev answered with a shrug, then brought out her signature crooked smile. “Why? Did you bring weed?”

Eddie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, totally. You know me.”

She was, if anything, relieved that there would be a lack of weed or any drugs on the trip. Ever since Bev took such a liking to it, a lot of the losers also began to dabble a lot with it too. Especially Richie. After football games in the fall, they would go to the forest or their clubhouse and just get high for the hell of it. Eddie wasn’t into it all all and it would make her so mad at times to feel left out. It was a thing for her to do that whenever weed was involved in a situation she would storm away in utmost frustration. And don’t get wrong- she did try it. And her mother smelled it on her, the second she got home. She wasn’t allowed to leave the house for an entire week. 

“Wouldn’t be surprised if Richie brought drugs,” Stan grumbled. 

They all glanced over to her and saw she was sleeping against the glass of the coach bus. She looked like a complete and utter disaster. 

“God, that’s so unsanitary,” Eddie mumbled. “You have no idea what’s touched that glass or the last time it was cleaned.” 

“I d-don’t think Richie’s ever c-c-cared about that stuff,” Bill noted. 

“True. If she was still awake, I know she’d fucking lick the glass to piss me off.”

Eddie felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her jacket and she pulled it out. She saw the contact name, expecting it to be her mom but instead it was, well.. someone she’d rather forget. She decided to ignore it and put her phone away in her pocket. She didn’t want to worry about it, didn't want to think about him when this was a trip meant for joy and her fun. 

“Without further ado, let's commence this trip!” Mr. Borris cheered, finally putting an end to his long winded speech. 

***

Despite being a shit small town, Derry wasn’t that far from an actual airport. Yes, they were flying to get to DC- how bougie. It had to be at least 20 minutes away, which honestly surprised Eddie. She always viewed Derry as like a desolate island or prison that was hard to escape- but there was an airport only a mere 20 minutes away. Soon, they were all getting up to get out and Eddie was finding herself trying to nudge Richie awake. 

“Hey, get up,” Eddie said, shaking her. 

“Fuck off. I need sleep.”

“You should’ve done that last night.”

“‘M, but I couldn’t.”

Bev leaned over and poked her shoulder. “Get up. There’s probably a Starbucks inside.”

Richie let out a groan- a loud, dramatic one that caused some of their peers to look their way. Eddie let out a sigh and began to move off her seat, not wanting to have to deal with her ass. 

“Fine,” Richie grumbled and began to move. 

Soon, they were all out from the bus and acquainted with their luggage, once again. There was another round of attendance and when everything seemed to match up, they headed towards security. 

“Why did you bring two suitcases?” Mr. Borris has questioned, finally taking note of the extra bag Eddie had with her. 

They were in line for security at that point and Mr. Borris just so happened to be waiting behind the losers- but anyways, Eddie had expected someone to ask, so she had her response. 

“For health reasons,” she explained, simply. 

Of course Mr. Borris was aware of each and every student’s health and needs for the trip. And of course he was bombarded by Sonia, who went on and on about the many phony health concerns that Eddie supposedly had. He remembered it, quite distinctively, actually. And how the woman seemed to be personally mad at him. So he nodded and accepted the extra bag. “One bag has to go in the overhead compartment- though.”

“Alright.”

***

“You’re a fucking idiot, do you realize that?” Eddie snapped at Richie, not even fifteen minutes later. 

The girl got stopped at security- and not because of weed or drugs or booze or anything- but because she had a huge thing of lotion with her. Eddie shouldn’t be surprised but she had every right to be angry, for she was assigned with the task of waiting for her. 

“Hey, cool it,” Richie said in turn. “I’m dealing with the serious loss of that lotion. It was my favorite.”

“You fucking deserve it,” Eddie exclaimed as they began to walk from TSA to the gate where everybody was waiting for the flight. 

“Well, I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was going to get confiscated!”

“What? It’s literally common knowledge that if you bring a liquid that big, TSA will take it away, dumbass.”

“Bitch, I’ve never done this. How was I supposed to know?”

“God, you’re so fucking dumb.”

Richie smiled and nudged Eddie, ever so gently. “That’s no reason to be angry, Eds.”

“Ugh! Stop fucking calling me that!” Eddie declared, with pure frustration. 

“You’re so cute when you’re angry,” Richie said with a dreamy sigh. 

“Literally shut up, trashmouth.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll shut up,” Richie told her with a wink and hints of laughter. 

Eddie rolled her eyes and walked faster, causing her ponytail to swing faster and Richie’s heart to melt even more so. She was still dead tired but security had aided in her waking up, more- especially since Bev promised her coffee when she got back. But now that she was more awake, she had the ability to just look at Eddie and admire the way that she always did. Admiring her for being tiny. Admiring her oversized jacket she got from cheer that she wore above a soft tan jumper and those jeans… those jeans that made her ass look like a piece of art. Despite being short tempered, it was hard for Richie to see any imperfections upon Eddie. 

Or maybe she just got more horny when she was tired. Which has been proven to be accurate many times in the past. 

When they reached the rest of the group and approached the losers, Richie happily pranced to Bev who was double fisting two Starbucks cups. 

“Beverly Marsh! You literally fuckin’ angel from the heavens,” Richie greeted, giving her a sloppy kiss on the cheek, in turn for the cup of coffee. “What would I do without you?”

“You’d probably ask Stan to be your coffee boy,” Ben teased, playing with Bev’s now free hand. 

Richie considered it, then nodded, “That’s accurate.”

“And it’s unrealistic, I would never get you coffee,” Stan huffed. 

“Aw, Stan the man, you don’t mean that,” Richie poured and took the open seat beside Eddie. “I know you would easily give into my sexy looks.”

Stan made a face. “Ew.”

“Fine. Eddie would be my coffee girl. She’s not a bitch like you, Stan,” Richie declared, sticking her tongue out at the poor guy. 

“Oh please, I would not get your coffee. Like ever.”

The losers, in turn, all made a face at that- as if they thought otherwise. Because c’mon. Everyone knew Eddie was an absolute suck up for her Richie. Of course she would get Richie whatever she wanted- yes, with a shit ton of protests and complaining- but would still go to lengths for her. Eddie rolled her eyes and slumped in the nasty airport seat. God, she hated the airport… like, a lot. So many people just… coughing and sneezing. The seats looked like they'd been poorly washed with crumbs stuck in the crevices. And it just smelled and Eddie didn’t like it, okay?

Bill fortunately shifted the topic to all of the shit they were going to see in DC, which took the attention away from Richie’s next in line coffee girl. She let out a sigh and looked up at the gross ceiling. 

“What’s with the long face, princess?” Richie asked, teasingly as she took a big gulp from her coffee cup.

Eddie turned to look at Richie with a mean glare. One that Richie was easily used to and not put off by. “Just… fuck you, Richie.”

“Gosh. Love you too, Eds.”

Eddie kept glaring at Richie, despite the other’s playful grin. She still looked like death and her dark brown hair was a complete mess. She had replaced her RayBan sunglasses with her usual pair of glasses- the transition that made her look ten times less cool. And yet, it was hard for Eddie to look away. For up close, her freckles were visible and her lips looked so soft and-

“You know who I hope to see in DC?” Richie asked, interrupting Eddie’s thought process and cleared her throat dramatically. “My favorite fantasy DILF- Donny Trump-”

Eddie rolled her eyes as Richie went into a poor impression of Trump that eventually caused her to start laughing at the sheer stupidity of it. Pleased by the reaction, Richie kept cracking jokes in attempts to keep her laughing. Because that was just one of many talents that Richie Tozier latched onto. She knew how to make the hard to please yet painfully gorgeous, Eddie Kaspbrak laugh. And of course, she prided herself on that.

***

They were supposed to sit in alphabetical order on the plane but Bev switched with a few people so she could sit next to Eddie.

“No fair, how’d you get the window seat?” Bev asked with a smile as she plopped down in the middle seat.

“Luck, I guess,” Eddie said with a shrug and fidgeting with her hands on her lap.

Okay, here’s the thing: Eddie ignored the airplane aspect of it all when she decided she wanted to sign up for this trip. And as it approached closer and closer, she continued to allow herself to become blissfully ignorant of it. But now she was trapped to a seat on an airplane that was to take off within twenty minutes. She was absolutely terrified and could not get the picture of them crashing out of her mind.

“You nervous?” Bev asked.

“How could you tell?” Eddie asked, sarcastically.

“You got xanax in your bag? That’s supposed to help.”

“No. Why would I have xanax?”

Bev shrugged. “Just take a deep breath, yeah? You’ll be fine. I can hold your hand if you want.”

If it were anyone else, Eddie would probably be offended by that statement. But she knew Bev so without hesitation and any words, she took Bev’s hand. And even if it didn’t cure her fear, it did significantly help. With her free hand, Bev pulled out her phone.

“How do you feel about entertainment?” She asked. “We could watch a movie or something?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, okay sure.”

*** 

Beverly Marsh really was a literal angel sent from the heavens and Eddie literally thanked God for her mere existence. They watched Teen Beach Movie, which genuinely helped with the jitters and Bev didn’t flinch when Eddie literally squeezed the life out of her hand during take off. The flight went by quickly, which was good but also bad because Eddie was nervous for when the plane was to land.

“What if it explodes?” Eddie asked, twisting her ponytail around.

“It’s not going to explode,” Bev assured.

“Well- how would you know that, huh?”

“It just won’t. I promise.”

Her fear of the plane exploding quickly dissipated. For, it was replaced with another fear- as she looked out the window, only minutes before the pilot said they were to land, she saw water. And it was close.

“Holy fuck,” Eddie declared. “We’re going to die in the Potomac.”

Bev looked over and with a sigh, closed the airplane window so Eddie wouldn’t look out the window to kill herself with worries.

“No, we’re not. You’re okay.”

“We about to pull a Sully!” Someone from behind them, literally cheered.

Eddie couldn’t believe high school boys sometimes. She closed her eyes and grabbed the seat desperately. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. This was the end, this was the end.

“Eddie, breathe. C’mon with me, breathe in, breathe out-”

***

“I have decided,” Richie announced, when the group reunited and were walking through Reagan Airport. “Besides getting my lotion confiscated, travel by airplane is fucking wonderful.”

Stan- who had to sit next to Richie- rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s wonderful when you don’t have someone sleeping on your shoulder and drooling all over the place.”

“Yeah, it was a literal nightmare,” Eddie agreed.

“Oh bother, my darling spaghetti, whatever had your titties in a bunch throughout the flight?” Richie asked with her shit british accent and rested an arm, awkwardly across her shoulder.

“Normal first plane ride jitters,” Bev had answered as if it wasn’t her first plane ride. “She thought the plane was going to explode.”

“Oh fuck you- that is so not what happened,” Eddie retorted.

“What? I think it’s rational,” Bev said with a soft laugh.

“But isn’t there a statistic that says you’re more likely to die in a car crash than in a plane?” Mike asked.

“T-that seems pretty accurate. I mean, everyone drives a car, s-so of course it’s more dangerous,” Bill agreed.

Eddie shrugged off Richie’s arm since it was beginning to hurt- she was still dragging her two bags behind her- and huffed out, “Great. We’re literally about to get into a bus, now I get to fucking worry about car crashes.”

“You’ll be fine. Nothing’s going to happen,” Ben told her with a laugh.

“Those are famous last words, Hanscom,” Eddie snapped.

“Don’t worry, Eds. if you get too scared, I’ll hold your hand,” Richie teased. “That’s what I tell your mom, when I get her over the edge-”

“Beep Beep, Richie,” the entire group practically said in unison.

***

Eddie and Stan both made it a point of not sitting next to Richie and took their seats next to each other on the coach bus. Richie didn’t seem to care and was busy kicking Ben off the seat next to Bev.

“Hey, look, I know you’re all lovey dovey but we all need to have our turns with Ms. Marsh. Move your ass,” Richie declared, basically blocking the aisle for other kids to get through, while doing so.

“Dingus,” Eddie muttered under her breath and pulled out her phone.

She hadn’t checked it since that morning and that text was still displayed on her screen. From him. She swallowed, trying to chase that dread away and opened her phone to text her mom that she landed and was safe.

Safe for now, at least.

The bus began to take off from the airport and soon the expanse of Washington DC was revealed from outside their window. Eddie marveled at the entire ‘newness’ of it all and that mentality seemed to be shared by the rest of the losers. Derry was so… bland but being there, it was like an excitement to them all.

“Aw! Look at that bird, Stan the man. Do you see that? Looks like a fuckin’ bald eagle. How ‘murica can this all get!” Richie exclaimed, pointing out the window.

Stan gave Richie a face before rubbing his temples with his fingers in an avid frustration, “No Richie, that is not an eagle. That’s literally a hawk-”

Bill from the seat behind Eddie, reached to poke her shoulder, “You good?”

Eddie nodded. “Fine for now. Why?”

“J-just checking in.”

Eddie gave him an appreciative smile. “So. You plan to make any moves on Audra on this trip?”

Instead of telling Eddie off, he just gave an evil smile, “I- I don’t know. You plan on making moves with Richie?”

Eddie, of course, should’ve seen it coming but her eyes still widened and she slammed her hands over his mouth. She looked over to see if Richie heard but she seemed too caught up in pissing Stan off. Typical.

“Fuck you. She could’ve heard!” Eddie snarled, under her breath.

“And th-th-then all of this annoying s-sexual tension would be resolved,” Bill said, from under her hands.

“Literally Bill- I swear to God- I will scream for everyone in this whole bus to hear that you are in love with Audra,” Eddie threatened.

Bill let out a laugh and gently pried Eddie’s hand off his face. “Y-yeah. Good luck with that.”

She knew Bill wouldn't do anything, of course, but it still made her anxious knowing that he knew about her complicated feelings in regards to Richie. At first, it was just like her dirty little secret. Some pretty thought she could toy with whenever she found herself thinking too fondly of the Tozier girl. But of course, she cracked and told Bill all about it. Now it didn’t feel much like a little secret, but more of a dirty thing.

She looked over. Richie was doing her shitty Trump impression, as she narrated the happenings outside the window. I mean, c’mon… it was embarrassing to like someone like that, right? But goddamn Richie Tozier, because despite her being such a foolish dumbass, Eddie’s heart still went in a circle only just thinking of her.

That’s what foolish love does to you, she supposed.

***

They unleashed the herd of high school kids into the mall food court, passing out ten dollar bills to each one of them for food.

“Shit,” Richie had said, waving her bill around. “Maybe we shouldn’t eat for this entire trip. Collectively, we could seriously make bank.”

“Not really. You wouldn’t even get to a thousand dollars by the end of the trip,” Stan said.

“Let a woman dream, Staniel,” Richie declared.

When they arrived at the heart of the mall, the place where the food court was so lovingly placed, they all split off to indulge in their own fast food favorites. Eddie followed Mike to Subway- figuring that sounded good, at the moment. Besides, she had to talk to Mike about something- about the text in her phone that was literally about to burn a hole in her jacket. She knew he was the guy to go to, in order to put some relief in the whole situation.

“Hey Mike, can I tell you something?” Eddie finally managed to ask as they waited in line.

He looked over with his usual smirk. “Sure, Eddie, what’s up?”

She bit her lip and looked at the menu with an uncertainty. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to bring it up. Maybe it was better if she just let it nag at her brain, from time to time. But… but this was the DC trip. The one she had been looking forward to for so long. She couldn’t just let… just let a stupid boy drag it down. So there, it was probably best if she just outwardly told Mike.

“Tristen texted me again,” Eddie declared.

Mike’s face fell. “He did?”

“Yeah. Yeah, he did.”

“Oh my God. What’d he say?”

“That he misses me.”

Mike was silent for a bit- to the point where Eddie had to peel her eyes off the menu to see if he was still alive. He was and he was looking back at her, not knowing what to say. But eventually, like Mike always does, he came to his senses.

“You’re not going to respond, okay?” he said, very softly. “Just delete the message and don’t let him get to you.”

Eddie nodded, crossing her arms. “I know. I will. It’s just, I thought this whole mess was over. I thought he moved on already to the next girl.”

Mike sighed. “He just broke up with Jessica.”

“Oh, so he’s using me again to get himself off because he has no girl. This is great. Fantastic.”

“Eddie, just don’t text back. If you don’t give him attention, he won’t bother you.”

“But, what if-”

“Aw yes, my favorite ladies!” The sound of Richie cut through and she inserted herself between Eddie and Mike with ease. “What’s the gossip, girls? Spill, please!”

Mike gave Eddie a small smile before turning to Richie. “We were just talking about the last football game that happened two weeks ago.”

“The one where Jackson broke his face? Douche fuckin’ had it coming,” Richie said with a shrug, waving around her lunch- which seemed to be from the cajun place. “That’s old news. Let’s place bets on whose going to fuck who on this trip.”

“The boys and girls are seperated, y’know,” Eddie said, as they moved up in line.

In a way, she was glad that Richie swooped in and interrupted the moment. It let her, just not think of Tristen for a moment.

“Eds, you are overlooking the gays!” Richie exclaimed. 

“Fine. You and Bev are gonna fuck,” Eddie shot back.

Mike wrinkled his nose and easily stepped up further in line.

“Mhm. I’m sure you’d like that, you kinky bastard. Me and Bev going away at it in the bed over in our small hotel room.”

“Ew! You are so gross!” Eddie groaned.

Richie shrugged. “You’re lucky, I won’t swindle Ben’s woman like that. We’ve got straight dude-lesbian code, if you know what I mean.”

“Next!” A worker called and Mike happily stepped up. 

“Okay, but I still remember the crush you had on her in the eighth grade, you can’t deny that,” Eddie declared, feeling something begin to bubble in her stomach. It felt like a twinge of jealousy- but that really couldn’t be it.

“Don’t worry, Spaghetti. I have definitely not forgotten that. She contributed to my lesbian awakening. I love her, of course, but she’s not my type anymore.”

“What even is your type?”

Eddie stuffed her hands in her pocket, sheepishly. It was meant to be a joke but the moment the words tumbled out of her mouth, she wanted to shove them right back in. Why the fuck would she ask that? Even if it was in a teasing tone, why the fuck would she ask that? Her skin felt like it was on fire and quite frankly, it felt like she slipped up in some sort of way.

But instead, Richie nudged her, playfully. “You know my type. Ol’ Sonia Kaspbrak. Hot fucking damn.”

“I can help who's next!” The Subway worker declared like a salvation from this dreadful conversation with Richie.

She gave her a glare before stepping up to the counter, “Hi. I would like a-”

***

To be quite honest, Eddie didn’t look too much into the details of the trip’s itinerary. She knew Ben, Bill, Stan, Mike and probably even Richie researched almost each and every aspect they were going to do, but Eddie had adopted Bev’s usual mentality for things. She was just along for the fucking ride.

So when they were back on the bus and given the choice to visit the space or American history section of the Smithsonian, the losers began to split up. Richie wanted to go to the American history museum so she could see the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. (“Judy Garland was a literal fucking goddess. Of course I have to go see those goddamn slippers.”) And Mike was along for it, too. The rest wanted to go to the space one and so did the bulk of their school group, as well.

And to be fair, Eddie liked the sound of the space one better.

“Eds, which one do you want to go to?” Richie asked calmly and poked her arm.

But the thing is, she quite enjoyed being in the company of a particular trashmouth. So she relented.

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “I’m going to the American one, though.”

Because, y’know- Eddie Kaspbrak was an absolute fool for this girl.

***

Out of the fifty or so kids signed up for the trip, only about seventeen wanted to go see the American history section. And soon, they were once again, left to their own devices to check out the museum. Which meant Richie dragging Mike and Eddie around to look at attractions that were oh so significant to America. And it also meant a reminder to Eddie that Richie was actually quite cultured. She recognized most of what she saw in there, while Mike and Eddie recognized about half.

But overall, it was nice because Richie was like their personal tour guide and would excitedly take pictures of the shit.

“You’re such a nerd,” Eddie admitted to Richie when the trio were eventually looking at the ruby slippers.

She said it because Richie practically squealed at the sight of the shoes. “Holy mother of fuck, Eds. You’ve got to take a picture of me in front of them.”

Before Eddie could really say something, Richie tossed over her phone and grabbed Mike forcefully so they could take a picture with the slippers together. Eddie huffed, but obliged and took their picture.

The rest of the visit was just like that really. Richie being overly excited and the other two just going along with it. They laughed as Richie danced, dramatically through exhibits for no reason. She would twirl Mike or Eddie around. Delve into a new shitty voice to explain what was presented. Crack a joke about whatever caught her eyes. It was all Richie Tozier at her very finest.

They eventually soaked up all they really needed to see and stumbled upon a little cafeteria area that was basically empty. There was about thirty minutes to be spared before they had to get back on the bus to go see the archives.

“Hey Mike?” Richie asked, after they settled.

Mike looked up from his phone. “Mhm?”

“You know how Dorothy’s ruby slippers were so small?” she asked.

Mike bunched his eyebrows together, not really getting where she was getting at. “... yes?”

“Well, d’you think they’d fit Eds? I’ve been thinking about stealing them for her, y’know-”

“Shut up. My feet aren’t that small,” Eddie interrupted, defensively.

“Uh huh, says ‘Misses just got out of wearing kid sized shoes’,” Richie shot back.

“I did not, you-”

“Yeah, I think they’d probably fit,” Mike intervened through the bickering.

Richie immediately smiled at her own victory, while Eddie looked to Mike with wide eyes and pure betrayal. “Mike! I thought you were on my side!”

Richie slung her arm around Eddie. “No, my Spaghetti. He is indeed on the side of the trashmouth and rightfully so!”

She leaned in and gave a big, annoying kiss on Eddie’s cheek, causing her to let out a, “Ew, disgusting! Get off of me!”

Normally, Eddie didn’t really mind when Richie was all touchy feely. You know, she quite liked it from time to time. But they both had an audience- which was the amused smile of Mike Hanlon.

“Only for you, Eddie Spaghetti,” Richie said with a wink before letting go of her hold on Eddie and slipping off her seat. “Ight. I’ve got some slippers to steal- I mean, I’m going to take a leak.”

With that, Richie stumbled away from the table to go off to the bathroom. There, it left Mike and Eddie all to themselves.

“I swear to fuck, I think I’m going to kill Richie someday,” Eddie blurted with a feat of frustration, head in her hands.

Mike didn’t say anything so Eddie figured he had gone back to his phone. But when she raised her head, he had a smile and looked like he was debating whether or not to say whatever was in his mind. Eddie didn’t like the look of that.

“What?” Eddie asked, confused.

“I-uh-well… okay, maybe I shouldn’t say it,” Mike declared.

Eddie narrowed her eyes at him, “Okay, now you have to say it, you little shit.”

Mike simply just laughed and began to bite at his lip. “I mean… okay, this is just my theory, alright? No fact, no harm, okay?”

Just then, Eddie’s heart dropped. Mike was extremely smart and kindhearted and could read people like a book. What if… what if he figured out Eddie’s little crush? It couldn’t be that obvious, could it? Like, Bill wasn’t surprised when she told him but he also didn’t you know… know about it. But she really didn’t want it to be obvious.

“Alright… what is it?” Eddie asked, no choice but to play along.

Mike took a deep breath then said, “I think Richie’s in love with you.”

What?

“What?” Eddie voiced.

Mike shrugged then rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, yeah. She’s always touching and looking at you. I just get these… vibes from her.”

“But… but that’s just Richie. She’s touchy feely with everyone.”

Mike gave a look as if he wasn’t entirely sure but being the polite fuck he was, he wiped any trace of the look off his face. “Yeah. Yeah. You’re probably right.”

But now it was in her head. That thought. That maybe Richie liked too but that… that didn’t seem realistic. Right?

Ironic thing is, though, when Richie came back from her bathroom visit, the first thing she said was, “You know, you two could make a good couple. Star football quarterback and cheerleader. Sounds like High School Musical all over again.”

“I think you got the wrong movie, man,” Mike replied.

***

“Okay. Be honest, alright?” Eddie whispered to Bill as they were waiting for an elevator to come take them to see the important American documents.

Bill raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, his way as a form of reply.

“Do you think… okay,” Eddie took a deep breath, before continuing. “Do you think Richie likes me back?”

When the words had fallen from her mouth, she immediately noted how juvenile they sounded. It felt like she was in kindergarten again, a little kid playing with the ideals of romance. Suppose high school wasn’t much different than kindergarten in regards to how juvenile everything sometimes felt.

Bill, however, gave her a pointed look. “A- are you serious?”

“Well, yeah. Why?” Eddie asked, crossing her arms.

Bill looked over to Richie, the lanky girl who was currently annoying the shit out of Stan. Then he turned his attention back to doe-eyed Eddie.

“It’s p-pretty obvious, Eddie,” Bill answered.

Eddie’s eyes widened. “Wait, what is? Like, that she likes me or that she doesn’t?”

“P-pretty sure she’s been in luh-love with you s-since we were kids,” Bill told her.

“What, no. There’s no way.”

“Oh my God,” Bill sighed. “I h-have luh-like zero hope for you guys.”

“Geez, thanks.”

The elevator soon opened up and about half the entire group squeezed into it. The whole way up in the elevator, Richie was making silly faces at Eddie, in attempts to get her to laugh. And despite her whirlwind of a mind, overthinking about the fact that Richie Tozier could possibly like her back, it did cause her to laugh. They walked out of the elevator and into yet, another line so they could view the Constitution and Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights and such. And even when Eddie got up to see the priceless documents up close, all she could bring herself to think about was Richie. Richie and her dumb smile. Richie and her dumb jokes. Richie and her insufferable voices. God, that girl was going to kill her.

***

The sun was beginning to set upon Washington DC and Eddie was starting to get sleepy. They still had a lot to do- they had the Jefferson Memorial, dinner and a ghost tour in Virginia to get to, but they already had such a long day.

Eddie was resting on Richie’s shoulder during the bus ride from the archives to the Jefferson memorial, scrolling through Instagram to keep her mind awake.

“I can’t believe people are already posting pictures about DC,” Eddie mumbled.

“Well, shit. I’m sorry. We just like to keep the peasants back in Derry informed of this trip,” Richie retorted.

Eddie shifted her head slightly so she could look up at Richie’s profile. “Don’t tell me you’ve posted already.”

I am so humbly hurt that my photo has not come up on your feed-”

Eddie nudged Richie in the ribs before going back to stare at her phone.

“Don’t know why you’re being such a big meanie about it. I just want to flex about the fact I got to see the ruby slippers, okay?”

***

The sun was still setting around the city and it was such a breathtaking sight to see from the Jefferson memorial. They all stood on the steps that led up to it and just took a moment to glance at the view before them. The glittering Potomac. The Washington Memorial not too far away. Eddie wondered what the place would look like in the midst of spring with the cherry blossom trees that littered the place all in bloom. She thought that sounded beautiful, in all honesty.

“Hey Audra!” Richie yelled, ruining the peaceful serenity of the moment. “Yes, you, Audra!”

“R-Richie-” Bill began, his eyes widening.

Richie only gave him a wink then waved for the girl to come over. Bill looked like he was about to die as the girl left her friend group and walked to where the losers were.

“Yes?” she asked, cautiously.

“You mind taking a picture of us?” Richie asked, handing over her phone.

Beside Eddie, Bill let out a big breath of air. A breath of relief, most definitely. They all got into their desired pose and Audra took their picture in front of the infamous memorial.

“Thanks Audra, love you!” Richie yelled, when she was done and handed the phone back.

She made a face at that, but let out a giggle, giving a simple wave to Bill, who nearly melted.

“Big Bill, don’t you worry. I am officially your wing woman,” Richie exclaimed.

“I- I would rather be in hell,” Bill blurted.

***

The losers split up, and Eddie found herself with Bill and Stan on the inside, looking at the statue of Jefferson in all of his glory. The entire place was so grandiose and full with this vivid greatness. Eddie had never seen anything like it before.

“Okay. Your turn to be honest,” Bill stated to Eddie. “D-do you think I have a chance with Audra?”

“Hundred percent, yes,” Stan said for Eddie.

“W-what?”

“Literally every girl at the high school has a crush on you,” Eddie declared.

Bill made a face. “Even you?”

“Ew no, you’re like a brother to me.”

“Eddie’s right,” Stan said with a shrug. “I took Valerie to homecoming this year, remember? And she literally admitted that she only said yes so she could get close to you.”

“I’ll give you ten bucks if you ask her out, right now,” Eddie blurted. “In honor of Jefferson.”

Bill smiled. “A-absolutely not.”

“Hm. Worth a shot.”

***

Across the Potomac, blue and red began to light up some traffic. There was a police chase with a significant amount of cop cars- there had to be at least four. Despite it’s distance, a lot of the high school kids cheered- Derry was so boring that a distant car chase was extremely exciting to them. 

“Obama’s getting arrested!” they howled into the sky that was slowly descending into the night.

Eddie couldn’t help but smile at the commotion despite it’s stupidity. It felt so right to be sitting there on those steps in front of the memorial and looking out at the world. She was completely in peace and dancing with the thoughts in her head, before someone sat down beside her.

“Do you think…” Richie began, softly. “Obama got arrested for assassinating Trump?”

Eddie smirked. “One could only hope.”

“Right? But I know Obama’s too much of a pussy to do anything about it,” Richie joked. “Absolute no offense to my man, Obama.”

“I think he could do it,” Eddie countered. “I have faith in him.”

Richie rested her chin upon her shoulder as she looked out to the river. She let out a tender hum- one that shook Eddie’s core and made her heart feel like such a gooey mess.

“Yes. But you have faith in everyone.”

***

The group walked off to see more memorials- one of them being the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial that stood proud and tall. They eventually walked back to the bus, Eddie now even more sleepy. Richie could tell and let her listen to the Spotify playlist she made for the trip. Eddie nestled her head against Richie’s shoulder the whole way to dinner and listened to Richie’s DC playlist- which consisted of Weezer, Ke$ha, Beck and Britney Spears.

Half awake, listening to music and the soft hum of the bus and the feeling of Richie beside her, felt like such a heaven. She knew that that moment was going to be one, she would look back upon with both envy and fondness. For there she was, far from home and living what felt like a dream.

***

They ate at this fancy italian place and it was honestly kind of perfect. All fifty kids sat at one bih, long table like a family while the teachers ate at a smaller table nearby. Everyone was getting along and interacting and laughing. They played rounds of telephone while they were waiting for their food and commented about a new, stupid ‘Couples of Derry High’ Instagram account that went around shipping people.

“This is probably what the first Thanksgiving felt like,” Eddie admitted, mostly to Richie as she glanced at the warm room around her.

Richie looked to her, shifting her glasses, diligently. Eddie was sleepy and even more hyperaware of how much of a fucking beauty Richie Tozier was. Fuck, fuck, fuck! She was so pretty.

“The first Thanksgiving never existed. It was just made up by some woman’s magazine during the Civil War,” Richie blurted.

“Wow. Way to ruin the fucking sentiment,” Eddie teased and nudged her foot, gently to Richie’s.

Richie’s eyes sparkled. “What? Just stating the facts.”

The food came out and of course, it was just bins of spaghetti and marinara sauce. It made Richie laugh and laugh and Eddie rolled her eyes as she made stupid jokes about cannibalism.

“I literally fucking hate you so much,” Eddie said, shoving spaghetti into her mouth.

“Lies, Eds, those are mere lies.”

***

Eddie just wanted to go to bed. It wasn’t that late- about 8:30 PM but the day had been so long. Yet, they still were off to Virginia to go on a ghost tour. Eddie and Richie shared a set of earphones and as they listened to the music, Richie tapped the beats softly on Eddie’s thigh. If she was more awake, she knew her heart would be going off like fireworks at the touch. But her mind and heart were a gooey mess at the moment. She probably would let Richie kiss her in front of everybody, at that moment- because again, her anxiety levels were historically low.

When they got out of the bus, Eddie stuck- basically glued- to Richie’s side as they wandered through this little town of Virginia. The losers were all talking around them but Eddie could not focus on anything except the ground below her and Richie’s touch to the right of her. How was she going to get through the rest of this ghost tour, feeling like she was on the verge of sleep?

“Eds?” Richie asked softly, nudging her elbow ever so slightly to Eddie.

“Mhm? Don’t fucking call me that,” Eddie mumbled.

“Did the italian place, like, drug you? You’re completely out of it,” Richie whispered.

God. They were so close to one another. To the point where Eddie could practically feel Richie’s breath brush the top of her scalp.

“No. Just sleepy,” Eddie mumbled.

It was silent between them but for some reason, Eddie felt as if she knew Richie’s eyes were on her. Just watching, the way that Richie usually did when she was unusually quiet. The entirety of the group met up where the tour guides were waiting for them. They were all soon split up into three groups- to make walking around easier. Somehow, Richie, Eddie, Ben and Bill got put into the same group while the other losers were dispersed amongst the other two.

Eddie didn’t really believe in ghosts nor the stories that were being told- it wasn’t her thing, really. But she enjoyed the stories, found them interesting and all, when she was paying attention. Richie would murmur comments about it- the usual ones that either caused a giggle or eye roll from her Eddie. Eventually, they unglued themselves and Richie went up to annoy the tour guide as they walked from one ghost sight to the next. Typical of her, of course.

“I just want to get to the hotel,” Eddie groaned.

“You need coffee,” Ben exclaimed.

“No. Coffee is not good for you. It’s like a fucking drug and it makes your heart artficially speed up and-”

“C-coffee’s not a drug,” Bill said.

“Yeah, you fucking say that because you’re addicted to it!”

“I’m n-n-not addicted to it. I n-need it,” Bill exclaimed, in his own defense.

“Literally those are words straight out of a stereotypical addict’s mouth. It’s brainwashing you like a drug.”

“I think you’re overthinking it,” Ben said.

“S-see? He gets it!”

“Because he’s a fucking addict too! God, I’m too tired to make this argument.”

“C-coffee’s not good at this time of night. Bu-but then again, you’re sharing a ruh-room with B-Bev and Richie. I doubt you’re going to be able to s-sleep, right away,” Bill declared.

And Eddie groaned because she knew that was right in every way. Richie was an insomniac and Bev was your classic night owl. Damn. If only she could’ve roomed with the guys. They were more likely to go to bed at typical, normal times. But nope… they had to do the whole girls and boys are seperate thing as if gay sex didn’t exist. But really, what were they to do? Give all fifty kids a room to themselves?

“Fuck that-”

“Wait, am I seeing things or- that looks like Batman over then,” Ben started.

“Wh-where?” Bill asked, his interest piqued.

Ben pointed and before the two could see, Richie began to obnoxiously hum and sing the Batman theme loudly up ahead. And sure enough, a man dressed in a Batman costume randomly walking down the street across the road, turned and gave a little salute.

“I love your work!” Richie shouted, earning a hush and a stern look from Mrs. Zoul- the chaperone teacher that had gone with the group. 

“I always forget how Rich literally has no shame,” Ben commented, laughing.

“How could you forget? She’s so blatant about it,” Eddie declared.

“Oh. we all know you love it,” Ben said so casually and probably with no homoerotic meaning attached to it.

But. The word- “love”- caused Eddie’s brain to stop functioning for a bit. Love. Love. Love. Love. Richie Tozier. Loving Richie Tozier. Her- Eddie Kaspbrak- loving Richie Tozier. It’s more likely than you’d think, quite frankly.

“Fuck no,” Eddie said, anyways.

They soon walked to this little courtyard and the tour guide said that if you took a picture in front of a particular window, you could see a ghost of a civil war soldier inside. Of course, that set Richie off, to the point that Eddie could hear her loud, dramatic gasp from the other side of the group. Students were already beginning to gear themselves up to take their own pictures in front of the window and Richie was on a mission to find her friends. Which only took two seconds.

“Guys. Group fuckin’ photo, pronto,” Richie declared to the other three then threw her phone at some random one of their peers to take the photo.

Richie squeezed in and wrapped an arm around Eddie’s waist and the other across Ben’s shoulder.

They didn’t get the civil war ghost in the picture. Some kid said they did but Eddie thought it looked too much like a glare. Not to be a buzzkill or anything- she just thought it was best to be realistic about things.

“Fucking spoopy. You scared, Eddie spaghetti?” Richie asked, shaking her shoulders aggressively.

Eddie whacked her away and moved from her hold. “In your dreams.”

“You seem more awake now. Back to your natural state of being a little bitch, aren’t you now, my sweet darling?”

“Shut up. You’re literally so fucking annoying.”

Richie only winked. “It’s what I do best.”

***

“I call getting my own bed!” Bev announced, the second they arrived at their hotel room.

Richie shot her a look and Eddie swore she saw Bev give a wink in return. That was a strange exchange… 

“But Bev, I need the leg room,” Richie whined.

Eddie set her luggage by the front table and shrugged off her jacket, folding it neatly on said table.

“Eddie’s small. I’m sure you won’t have to worry about that,” Bev teased.

Eddie shot a glare from over her shoulder. “Oh, fuck you.”

Richie let out a shriek of giggles and walked over to pinch her cheek. “Fuck. You’re so cute.”

In turn, Eddie was not charmed by this. “Get your fucking hands away from me.”

Richie laughed as Eddie continued to glare and whack her away in an angry manner. She was acting very much like a very mad, and very small dog. In other words, Richie was absolutely loving every second of it.

“Besides,” Bev said, taking the bed furthest from the window. “I’m a kicker in my sleep. I’m sure Eddie wouldn’t appreciate that.”

That took Richie’s amused, stupid self away from Eddie, as she turned to give Bev her typical lopsided grin. “Oh. I’m sure Ben appreciates it.”

“Trust me. He does,” Bev said with a wink.

“Fucking gross,” Eddie grumbled, as she climbed into the open bed, face down. “On that note, ‘night.”

“No. Not ‘night’. We still have so much to do, tonight,” Richie exclaimed. “Bev, I saw a liquor store across the street. I’m thinking of climbing off the balcony and running across there. I mean, I didn’t bring my fake ID for nothing.”

That statement was enough to pull Eddie from her facedown position upon the bed to look at Richie with wide eyes. “You better not fucking do that. You have any idea how bad that idea is?”

“It’s not my worst idea,” Richie said with a shrug.

“But it’s also not your best,” Bev retorted. “Don’t do it, Rich. I don’t want to get in trouble for this.”

Richie pouted as she hoisted herself up on the table, in front of the TV. She then leaned down and began to untie and kick off her beat up, dirty converse.

“You guys are literally no fun. I mean, I knew Eds was a bit of a buzzkill. But Bev, you? I expected better from you,” Richie said, shaking her head.

Bev rolled her eyes. “Just wait ‘til we get home. Then I’ll continue to encourage all of your shitty ideas.”

And just like Bill predicted, the night was longer than what Eddie wanted it to be. They sat around talking and somewhere along in the conversation, Richie began to sing that PPAP song that was circulating the internet at the time. And to both Bev and Eddie’s horror, she also took the moan in the song and made it sound as sexual as possible. Again, just typical Richie Tozier behavior.

“Alright. I can’t take this anymore,” Bev declared, slipping off her bed. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

“What? You get first dibs on the shower and the bed? What kind of system is this, Bevvie?” Richie whined.

“Capitalism,” Bev joked, as she opened her suitcase and grabbed what she needed.

“I’ll shower in the morning, so you can go after her, Rich,” Eddie mumbled.

Bev gave them both a stern little look then said, “Behave, you two. I don’t want to step out of the shower and see that one of you has murdered the other.”

Richie gave an aggressive and dramatic salute. “Aye, aye captain.”

With that, she left to go to the bathroom.

***

Okay, here’s the thing. Eddie and Richie had been friends since the first grade, bonding over the fact that they both preferred to go by masculine nicknames. They were never bullied for it, just teachers found it a slight bit weird- after all, older people tend to be suckers for stupid gender norms. But since then, they had been thick as thieves and closer to each other than with anyone else in the losers club. They had seen each other in their best, their worst- they had seen and knew everything about the other. Well… almost, of course.

So yeah, obviously, they had seen each other naked in some regard- but that hadn’t been a thing since middle school. Things were different, at this point. They both have flown past puberty and are on the verge of becoming adults- it was just well… you know, different.

So when Eddie got off the bed and rummaged through her bag for her night clothes, she nudged Richie off the table she was still sitting on.

“Lemme get dressed,” Eddie told her.

“Right now?” Richie asked.

“Yes, dingus, now. I wanna get to bed, already,” Eddie groaned.

Richie let out a sigh but moved over to the bed, pulling out her phone to do whatever she did on the internet. Eddie rolled her eyes, turning away to pull her jumper off. The motion was enough to alert Richie’s eyes to look up and she felt her breathing hitch. She was met with the sweet expanse of the soft skin that coated Eddie’s back- a small freckle dotted here and there. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her and watched as the muscles moved in her back, how Eddie began to take off her black bra. Richie was internally screaming and hoping Eddie wouldn’t turn around to see how utterly red she had become. But then again… she wouldn’t hate it if Eddie did happen to turn herself around.

She soon put on a sweatshirt and slipped on a pair of track shorts and by the time she was all dressed, Richie regained the majority of her cool, looking at her phone as a distraction.

“You know, staring at your phone makes you less fucking tired, dumbass,” Eddie snapped, placing her clothes back in her luggage, then took out her toothbrush- there was luckily a little sink in the mini kitchen that was placed in the room.

“You know I don’t care,” Richie said, right back. “And it’s usually not that keeping me awake, actually. It’s mostly your mom who's robbing me from all of those sweet slumbers. You know, with those thighs of thunder.”

“Beep beep, Richie,” Eddie said, toothbrush in her mouth and everything.

“Fuck, Eds. I’m gonna be so lonely in the night without the soft embrace of your mother. You’ll be a nice substitute, won’t you Eddie baby?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Eddie flipped her off, causing Richie to laugh. Eddie finished up brushing her teeth, then pulled out her ponytail. She ran her fingers through her brown, wavy hair- the hair that Richie always thought looked worthy of a shampoo commercial. As she began to braid her hair, Richie forced herself to look away and stare at her phone. It was quiet from there, until Eddie was satisfied with her two dutch braids and climbed under the covers of the bed beside Richie.

They’ve shared a bed dozens of times but the both of them got this excited feeling at the fact they were getting to share once more. It’s what puppy love does to you- it makes all the little things more exciting.

Eddie turned over. Richie looked down at her, heart beating. Fuck, she was so cute. Fuck, she was so, so cute.

“What’re you doing?” Eddie whispered.

“Hm? Oh. Just watching vine compilations,” Richie explained.

“‘Course you are. Lemme see.”

And so Richie obliged and she scooted down more, so the both of them could watch the stupid videos for themselves. Both of them had seen the vines, millions of times before and they easily quoted the ones they knew by heart.

Because that’s how it was.

**Author's Note:**

> i actually went on this trip when i was but a wee 8th grader. so a lot of the events that goes on in this fic, are actually my own personal experiences. and for historical context: in november of 2016, trump was just elected president, ppap was my favorite meme and the chicago cubs had won the World Series. also the clown craze that happened in the month previous. we won’t delve into that, though.
> 
> but what a crackhead of a time this was.
> 
> hope u guys enjoy the fem reddie tho!! anything sapphic makes my heart go: :))))


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